Agatha Christie - Destination Unknown (1954)

This is another of Christie's standalone spy thrillers.

Hilary Craven, amusing name since she's trying to kill herself in Morocco when the story begins,  is enlisted by a British agent Jessop to impersonate a missing scientist's dead wife. Scientists have been disappearing all over the world and Jessop believes Hilary is his best hope of locating where they've been spirited off to.

I really liked the journey across Africa and the different ideologies for the characters - these made up their different reasons for disappearing the way they did. They all thought they were going to their version of Utopia. In reality a very wealthy man was collecting 'resources' that the world would pay heavily to use. Christie wasn't blinded by the illusions thrown up to stop people seeing the realities of life - in the end it's always about money. Greed makes the world go round. Quite sad really, since money doesn't exist yet so much harm is done to acquire it.

John Wyndham - Trouble With Lichen (1960)

I don't know what it is about this book that makes me read it once a year. I bought it with six other Wyndham's at a thrift store when I was 13. They were $1 each - the price is still written inside the front covers. I was so busy reading them I never got around to erasing it. They're torn, yellowed, grubby, frayed and much loved - especially this one. Wyndham's just one of those authors, you adore him completely or you despise him. Obviously I adore him.

The Trouble with Lichen, this particular Lichen, is that it stops milk from curdling. From there Wyndham, quite satirically, evolves it into a struggle for control of the world's lichen supply, weaves in a dash of cold war scrummage and adds an enduring love. It's not romantic, it's not Bond-esque espionage - it's just a 'what if' tale. What if you could cure aging? What if the lichen to cure it grew in one small part of the world? And humanity goes mad.

I can't resist science fiction novels that show the foibles of humanity. People who are faced with money or the common good will generally choose money. Why? Because most of humanity is extremely self-serving. Of course, this is a Wyndham novel. So there's some good winning out against the bad.

It's a beautiful novel, well-crafted and poetic. A perfect rainy afternoon read.